I’ve previously written about the career benefits of earning one or more of your ISTQB software testing certifications, and since this is such an important topic I thought I’d add some additional thoughts to that initial post.

Research reveals that IT certifications are on the rise globally, including not only ISTQB and ISEB certifications, but also other IT accreditations such as ITIL, IAASC, PMI PMP, PMI CAPM, CISSP, and many others. The 2 primary reasons for this trend are that IT job markets are becoming increasingly competitive, and certified professionals earn more money.

The first benefit of getting certified is akin to standing out from the crowd. For example, the majority of job candidates you will compete against for any given IT job will not be certified, and hence those whom are certified will have a distinct advantage. It also demonstrates that you are committed to your profession, and that you are willing to “go the extra mile” to validate this fact. The fact that you are willing to endure the time and stress associated with proactively getting certified shows that you are highly motivated, passionate, and possess a terrific work ethic – things that any employer wants to see.

Additionally, there are plenty of organizations out there that actually require some level of job-specific certification because this demonstrates that the candidate is up-to-date with the most current techniques and tools. The fact that this is validated by a neutral third party certification entity gives employers confidence that you know what you are doing and will subsequently be a good investment for the company.

In terms of the impact on your pay scale, research has shown that certifications definitely do help boost salaries. In fact, a recent survey at certag.org involving over 40,000 respondents from 150 countries showed that 96% of those with the largest salaries claimed to be certified.

So as you can see, earning an IT certification like your ISEB Foundation, ISTQB Foundation, or ISTQB Advanced accreditation will provide you with some excellent career-oriented advantages, with the primary benefits being that you will have an easier time getting a desirable job, and you will earn more money. Tough to argue with those benefits from a career standpoint!